TRAINING TIPS with PHIL HAUGEN
How to handle the addition of speed in your Training Program This is a subject that comes up quite often when you have a horse in training for one of the speed events. It is a very common challenge that we all have to face at some point as we advance our horse in their training. To truly understand why this is such a challenge we must understand the two thought processes that a horse has, thinking, and reacting. As we pro ress our horse in their training we apply pressure or contact at a much slower speed and we are more patient as we wait for our horse to find the desired response. As we go thru this process of asking for responses in a way that our horse understands, and we help them find that release point, we are also helping our horse to use the thinking side of their brain. Now, just think about a set of horses out in the pasture and a situation where one gets startled and takes off running and the others follow suit, are those horses using the thinking side of their brain or the reacting side? Correct, the reacting side. So think about this situation from the horse’s point of view, for a good bit of time you have been training your horse at a slower, more relaxed speed, and have been riding quiet and being patient.
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And now you decide it’s time to put more speed with it, and speed is what time of response? Reactive right? We always have to remember that the horse is a flight animal and when they flee their survival instincts are kicking in, so when we start to ask for speed there are going to be times when your horse switches from using the thinking side of their brain to the reacting side of their brain, and we all know the results when this happens. This is why it is so important to gradually increase speed and always remember to back up and reinforce those fundamental habits that helps your horse understand the responses you are asking for. This will help build confidence in your horse and reduce anxiety for both horse and rider. I hope this helps, have a safe month of training!
Phil
Fb Phil Haugen Horsemanship www.PhilHaugenHorsemanship.com
